Microsoft Wiki

Be sure to join our wiki's Discord server by clicking here
Also follow our wiki's Twitter by clicking here

READ MORE

Microsoft Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer, and commonly abbreviated as IE or MSIE) is a discontinued series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft. It was first released as a part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 in 1995. It had since been included with every version of Microsoft Windows until Windows 10.

Internet Explorer has multiple versions, such as a version for embedded OEM devices running Windows Phone, Windows CE, and Windows Mobile (the latter was based on Internet Explorer 7) called Pocket Internet Explorer (later rebranded Internet Explorer Mobile), a version for the Xbox, and a version for the Macintosh and UNIX. Internet Explorer for Mac and Internet Explorer for UNIX have been discontinued.

On March 17, 2015, Microsoft announced that Microsoft Edge would replace Internet Explorer as the default browser for Windows 10 devices, effectively making IE11 the last release. It remained on versions of Windows 10 until 21H1 for legacy purposes.

History[]

Internet Explorer 1[]

The first version of Internet Explorer was installed as part of the Internet Jumpstart Kit in the Microsoft Plus! pack for Windows 95 in August 1995. Version 1.5 was released several months later for Windows NT and added support for basic table rendering.

Internet Explorer was a revamped version of Mosaic Spyglass, which Microsoft had licensed from Spyglass, Inc. Because the web browser was completely free, Microsoft was not required to pay royalties to Spyglass, which would later result in a lawsuit that was settled for US$8 million on January 22, 1997.

Internet Explorer 2[]

Internet Explorer 2 is the second major release of Internet Explorer, released on November 22, 1995 for Windows 95 and Windows NT, and on April 23, 1996 for the Apple Macintosh and Windows 3.1. IE2 introduced new or improved features for its time period, many of which either became ubiquitous or obsolete. Some of these features included:

  • Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol
  • HTTP cookies
  • Integrated email and news client
    • Support for SMTP and POP protocols
    • Support for newsgroups over NNTP protocol
    • Spelling checker
    • Automatic mail management (filter)
    • MIME
    • MAPI
  • JavaScript
  • HTML3
    • HTML tables
    • HTML frames element support
  • Bookmark importer for Netscape
  • RSA
  • Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) network stack

Internet Explorer 3[]

Internet Explorer 3 is the third major release of Internet Explorer, released on August 13, 1996 for Windows and on January 8, 1997 for Mac OS.

Internet Explorer 4[]

Internet Explorer 4 is the fourth major release of Internet Explorer, released in Spetember 1997 for Windows, Mac OS, Solaris, and HP-UX. It is the first version of Internet Explorer to use the MSHTML (Trident) layout engine, and has support for Browser Helper Objects (BHO).

Internet Explorer 5[]

Internet Explorer 5 is the fifth major release of Internet Explorer, released on March 18, 1999 for Windows NT 3, Windows 3.1, Windows NT 4.0 SP3, Windows 98, Mac OS X, classic Mac OS, Solaris, and HP-UX. Its distribution methods and Windows integration were involved in the United States v. Microsoft case.

Internet Explorer 6[]

Internet Explorer 6 is the sixth major release of Internet Explorer, released on August 24, 2001 for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me and as the default web browser for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

Internet Explorer 7[]

Internet Explorer 7 is the seventh major release of Internet Explorer, released on October 18, 2006 for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and as the default web browser for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Embedded POSReady 2009.

Internet Explorer 8[]

Internet Explorer 8 is the eighth major release of Internet Explorer, released on March 19, 2009 for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and as the default web browser for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

Internet Explorer 9[]

Internet Explorer 9 is the ninth major release of Internet Explorer, released on March 14, 2011 for Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Internet Explorer 10[]

Internet Explorer 10 is the tenth major release of Internet Explorer, released on October 26, 2012 for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It is the default web browser for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.

Internet Explorer 11[]

Internet Explorer 11 is the eleventh and last major release of Internet Explorer, released on October 17, 2013 for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012.

Replacement and end of support[]

Microsoft Edge, officially unveiled on January 21, 2015 as "Project Spartan",[1] replaced Internet Explorer as the default browser on Windows 10.[2] Internet Explorer is still installed in Windows 10 to maintain compatibility with older websites and intranet sites that require ActiveX and other legacy web technologies.[1][3] The browser's MSHTML rendering engine also remains for compatibility reasons.

Additionally, Microsoft Edge shipped with the "Internet Explorer mode" feature, which enables support for legacy internet applications. This is possible through use of the Trident MSHTML engine, the rendering code of Internet Explorer. Microsoft has committed to supporting Internet Explorer mode at least through 2029, with a one-year notice before it is discontinued.[4]

Various websites have dropped support for Internet Explorer. On June 1, 2020, the Internet Archive removed IE from its list of supported browsers, due to its dated nature.[5] Since November 30, 2020, the web version of Microsoft Teams can no longer be accessed using Internet Explorer, followed by the remaining Microsoft 365 applications since August 17, 2021.[6][7]

Internet Explorer is no longer installed on systems that come with Windows 11; rather, they instead include Microsoft Edge with an Internet Explorer (IE) mode for any legacy websites that require it.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Weber, Jason (January 21, 2015). "Spartan and the Windows 10 January Preview Build". IEBlog. Microsoft. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. 
  2. Goldman, David (April 29, 2015). "'Microsoft Edge' will replace Internet Explorer". CNN. 
  3. Warren, Tom (January 27, 2015). "Microsoft reveals its Internet Explorer successor will support extensions". The Verge. 
  4. Lifecycle FAQ - Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Docs.
  5. Farewell to IE11, Internet Archive Blogs. May 1, 2020.
  6. Microsoft 365 apps say farewell to Internet Explorer 11 and Windows 10 sunsets Microsoft Edge Legacy, Microsoft 365 Blog. 2021-02-08.
  7. Microsoft Internet Explorer is finally dead, The Independent. August 20, 2020.

External links[]

Internet Explorer
History
Windows versions
1234567891011
Other platforms
MobileMacintoshUNIX
Technologies
MSXMLRSS PlatformSmart tagsJScriptDHTML (HTA) • MHTMLVector Markup LanguageXMLHttpRequestActiveXTemporary Internet FilesIndex.datFaviconWeb SliceAccelerator
Software and engines
Administration KitDeveloper ToolsIntegrated Windows AuthenticationTasmanTrident (Chakra)
Implementations
Outlook ExpressInternet Mail and NewsComic ChatNetMeetingNetShowActiveMovieDirectX MediaWindows Address BookWindows Desktop UpdateActive DesktopActive ChannelMSN Explorer
Events
United States v. Microsoft
People
Dean HachamovitchScott IsaacsTantek Çelik
Advertisement